Earring



Jo M, H47.

J. M cANN EARRING Filed. Oct. 4:, 1944 FIG.5.

FIG. 2'.

a J ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 14, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EARRING Judith McCann, New York, N. Y. Application October 4, 1944, Serial No. 557,069

11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in earrings for feminine ear ornamentation.

One of the important features of the invention resides in an earring which may be safely and comfortably worn upon the ear without the use of clamping screws, resilient clips, and other annoying pressure producing elements.

Another feature of the invention is to provide an earring which is constructed in rights and lefts when made in pairs and which are designed to comfortably fit a variety of human ears when in worn position thereon.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of an earring in which the weight of the same is supported from the strong cartilage of the lower inside concha of the ear including the natural U of the concha with the ornamented body thereof in artistic relation to the lobe, there being a loop element extending rearwardly from the body which conforms to the general contour of the ear where the ear meets the head for preventing outward swinging of the earring during natural head movements of a wearer.

A still further feature of the invention is the provision of an earring which is simple and inexpensive of construction, and modern and attractive in appearance.

Other novel features of the invention will become apparent as the following specification is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a right human ear illustrating my improved earring in supported position thereon.

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view illustrating the manner in which the loop element of the earring follows the contour of the ear at its junction with the human head.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view with a portion of the ear broken away and in section; to illustrate the manner in which the earring support seats in the lower concha of the ear.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a rear elevational view of a right earring per se.

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 6- 5 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of a modified Figure 9 is a sideelevational view of a. modified design of my improved earring.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, and at present to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figure 1 to 6 inclusive and 9, the numeral i0 designates one form of my earring in its entirety. The earring l0 shown in the drawing is for the right ear and includes a body portion ll adapted to overlie the exterior of the lobe of the ear, an inwardly curved bridge portion I2 integral with the top of the body portion H, and a-loop portion I'3 integral with the body portion and forming therewith a U-shaped structure as best illustrated in Figure 6. Integral with the free end of the bridge portion 12 and extending in forward and rearward directions are leaf-shaped Wings l4 and I5 respectively, the said wings being shaped to fit Within the lower concha of the ear fore and aft of the natural U thereof in a manner and for reasons hereafter to be explained.

It will be understood that my earring l0 may be made of various materials such as precious and non-precious metals and plastics and may be made up in unlimited ornamental designs. In the drawing, the body portion H, bridge portion l2, loop portion 13 and wings l4 and I5 are constructed of a rigid flat stock metal, the free end of the portion 1 3 being rounded and the wings l4 and 15 being concave-convex in cross section to avoid contact of sharp edges with skin of a wearer when the earring is in worn position upon a human ear. The earring l0 shown in the drawconstruction and design of the invention illustrating the manner in which the tip of the ear may be ornamented in conjunction with the lobe ornament.

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the ear ornament shown in Figure 7.

ing is intended for the right ear, but it will be understood that the left earring of a pair will be identically constructed but in reverse arrangement.

In Figures 1 to 6 inclusive the body portion II is formed to provide an annular frame or setting for an ornamental jewel l6. Fingers ll are formed integral with the body H and are bent over the edges of the jewel for securing the same to the body portion I I. The body portion II is offset in a rearwardly direction with respect to the bridge portion I: to cause the ornametal jewel to assume a centered position over the exterior of the lobe of an ear.

In Figure 9 of the drawing, the body H is in the form of a straight barwhich extends from the U of the concha downwardly forward of the lobe.

In Figures 1 to 4 inclusive I have illustrated my earring I 0 as applied to a right human ear A which includes the concha B, lobe C, and U passage D which opens onto the lobe through the lower portion of the concha B. Fore and aft of the U passage D, the human ear includes the tragus E and antitragus F respectively. When applying the earring Ill into position upon the human ear A, the loop portion I3 is inserted upwardly on the inner side'of the lobe C until the wings l4 and I5 are in a position adjacent the entrance to the concha B, after which the wings are moved inwardly into the concha and are thence brought downwardly to seat upon the strong cartilage at the bottom of the concha wherethey are concealed from view by the tragus E and antitragus F. The bridge portion l2 seats in the U passage D causing the ornamental body portion II to be artistically displayed upon the outer side of the lobe C. The loop portion I3 is shaped so that it fits comfortably at the joinder of the ear with the head as clearly illustrated in Figure 2. When in applied position as just described, it will be understood that there is no clamping between the portion I3 and body ll of the earring, for the earring is entirely supported by the seating of the wings l4 and 15 with the lower portion of the concha B. The weight of the earring I0 is upon the strong cartilage at the base of the concha and the arm of the loop portion l3 merely functions to prevent outward swinging of the earring during natural head movements of a wearer. The earring I0 avoids pressure upon the ear which has been a source of annoyance to wearers of earrings held in position by clamping screws, resilient clips and other pressure producing elements.

In Figures '7 and 8 I have illustrated a further adaptation of my invention'wherein parts herebefore described are identified by like reference characters. In order to further ornament the ear A, the arm of the loop portion I3 is extended upwardly to provide a flexible hook shape extension 20 which resembles the ear engaging hook portion of the temple bar of a pair of spectacles so as to fit the contour of the back of the ear where it joins the head. Fixed to the free end of the extension 20 is an ornament 2|, the same overlapping the said free end and having a portion thereof disposed in spaced relation thereto. When the earring I0 is applied to the ear in the manner previously described, the extension portion 20 extends upwardly behind the ear, and by flexing the tip of the ear, it may be inserted behind the ornament 2l withno discomfort to the wearer.

If desired, the extension portion 20 may be formed adjacent its lower end with a loop 22 into which the stem of a natural or artificial flower may be inserted for further ornamental ear decoration.

While I have shown and described what I consider to be the most practical embodiments, I wish it to be understood that such changes in construction, design, and materials as come within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to if desired without departing from the spirit of the invention set forth therein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An earring comprising an ornamental body portion adapted to be disposed against the exterior of the lobe of a human ear, an inwardly extending bridge portion fixed to the upper end of the body portion for freely entering the concha of the ear through the U passage thereof, a relatively short forwardly extending wing connected to the bridge portion, a relatively long rearwardly extending wing connected to the bridge portion, said wings adapted to seat in the lower portion of the concha, and a loop portion connected to the lower end of the body portion in spaced relation to the inner side thereof and curved to fit the contour of the joint between the ear and the head of a human, said loop portion adapted to prevent outward swinging of the earring during natural head movements of a wearer.

2. An earring comprising an ornamental body portion adapted to be disposed against the outer side of the lobe of a human ear, 9. bridge portion fixed to the upper end of the body portion for entering the concha, of the ear through the U passage in the lower portion thereof, oppositely extending wings connected to the bridge portion for seating in the base of the concha, an upwardly extending loop portion connected to the body portion for freely fitting behind the lobe of an ear for arresting outward swinging of the earring relative to the lobe, a hook-like extension element connected to the loop portion for engagement behind the ear, and an ornamental element carried by the free end of the extension element and disposed in spaced overlapping relation thereto for display at the tip of theear when the earrin is in position thereon.

3. An earring comprising a body portion adapted to be disposed against the exterior of the lobe of a human ear, an inwardly extending bridge portion fixed to the upper end of the body portion for freely entering the concha of the ear through the U-passage thereof, forwardly and rearwardly extending wings donnected to the bridge portion, said wings adapted to seat in the lower portion of the concha, and a. loop portion connected to the lower end of the body portion and extending in spaced relation to the inner side thereof and adapted to fit between the ear and the head of a human, said loop portion adapted to prevent outward swinging of the earring during natural head movements of the wearer.

} 4. An earring as set forth in claim 3 in which the body portion is constructed of wire-like metal having an offset loop portion formed therein on which an ornament may be mounted.

5. An earring comprising a substantially U- shaped member having an outer leg adapted to fit against the exterior of the lobe of a human ear and an inner leg adapted to fit between the ear and the head of a human, an inwardly extending bridge portion fixed to the upper end of the outer leg for freely entering the concha of the ear through the U-passage thereof, forwardly and rearwardly extending wings connected to the bridge portion adapted to seat in the lower portion of the concha, whereby the earring may be supported in position of use against accidental displacement.

6. An earring comprising a body portion adapted to be disposed against the exterior of the lobe of a human ear between the U-passage in the lower portion of the concha and the junction of the ear lobe with the head and being of a length substantially equal to the distance between the bottom of said U-passage and said junction, an inwardly extending bridge portion shaped member having an outer leg adapted to fit against the exterior of the lobe of a human ear between the bottom of the U-passage of the concha and the junction of the lobe with the head and being of a length substantially equal to the distance between the bottom of said U- passage and said junction and having an inner leg adapted to fit behind the ear, an inwardly extending bridge portion fixed to the upper end of said outer leg for freely entering the U-passage of the concha of the ear, and forwardly and rearwardly extending wings connected to said bridge portion and adapted to seat against the face of the concha at the lower portion thereof.

8. An earring comprising a pair of divergent wings curved longitudinally, one of said wings being longer than the other, a body portion connected with said wings at their junction and extending downwardly, said body portion being adapted to lie against the outer face of the lobe of an ear between the U-passage of the concha and the junction of the lobe with the headand being of a length substantially equal to the distance between the bottom of said U-passage and said junction, and means extending from the ear. t 9. An earring comprising ornament supporting bottom of said body portion in spaced relation thereto for loosely engaging behind the lobe of the means shaped to fit into and be supported by indentations in the anatomy of an ear, and means connected with the first mentioned means and constructed and arranged to extend loosely behind the lobe of the ear but to prevent displacement of the first mentioned means from its supported position.

10. An earring comprising an ornament carrier having a portion adapted to extend into and be supported by an indentation in an ear and having a portion constructed and arranged to fit loosely behind the lower portion of the ear but to prevent switching of the first mentioned portion from its supported position. v

11. An earring comprising ornament supporting means adapted to seat in the concha of an ear behind the tragus and antitragus of the pinna,

and means loosely engageable with another portion of the earto maintain the first mentioned means inits seated position.

JUDITH McCANN. 

